SHAH ALAM – The principle of the rule of law and the role of the authorities as protectors of public safety and interests must be upheld in all circumstances, regardless of position and rank.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said his party believes that issues such as selective prosecution, cronyism, institutional bullying, and bias have been plaguing for a long time without a solution.
Takiyuddin backed Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim, who recently said that the police should continue with their investigation into the allegation that a bodyguard of a royal assaulted a disabled person.
“PN believes that problems such as selective prosecution, bias, cronyism, and institutional bullying have persisted for too long without being addressed.
“It paints our whole political scenario, including the country’s image from a global perspective.
“This situation clearly creates widespread mistrust, especially in the ability of the government and the authorities to protect the rights of the people and guarantee the implementation of justice for all under the law,” Takiyuddin said in a statement.
He said that Hassan’s point about the authorities failing to follow legal requirements will worsen people’s views, especially about their professionalism and service quality.
Hassan previously said that, in terms of criminal law, there is no such thing as a case being concluded merely because the victim made a second police report claiming it was completed.
“When a police report is made, the document is called a first information report, or FIR for short.
“Upon receiving a report, if the offence is a physical attack on someone and is a criminal offence under the Penal Code, then the police’s duty is to call the party that attacked the victim for investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Takiyuddin said criminal cases, especially under the Penal Code, need to be investigated and action taken in accordance with the law as soon as a report on them is made, even if the original complainant refuses to extend the matter.
“It’s not like a civil case that can be stopped and resolved at any time by mutual agreement of the parties involved.
“Therefore, PN once again fully supports Hassan’s call for the police to continue investigating the case and take all necessary actions in accordance with the law to ensure that the rights and well-being of all citizens are fully respected,” he said.
The alleged assault of a deaf e-hailing driver by a VIP’s bodyguard was confirmed yesterday by Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department director, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, who said an investigation paper had been opened.
However, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa later said the complainant had lodged a second police report, that the matter had been settled, and that he did not wish to prolong the case.
Rusdi’s statement was unclear on whether police had ceased the investigation or not.
Legal rights group Lawyers for Liberty also said that even if the victim lodged a second police report to state that the matter had been resolved, police have a statutory duty to continue investigating the alleged offence as the force is tasked with preserving peace and security. – May 31, 2024